Aso Villa Reads for Thurs. 05/11/2020

Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved a total of N87.538 billion for road projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Oyo, Benue and Nasarawa states. This was disclosed to State House Correspondents after the week’s virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. Addressing correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fasola (SAN), accompanied by his FCT counterpart, Mallam Mohammed Bello, and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said his ministry presented two memoranda to Council and that both were approved. He said Council approved a variation of N47.504 billion for the completion of the 52 kilometers-Oyo-Ogbomosho highway which is a part of the Ilorin-Ibadan 145 kilometers highway. The minister said the variation had increased the total contract to N105.041 billion. The Minister further disclosed that the Council also approved a N9.348 billion variation to complete Lokko-Oweto Bridge that links Nasarawa to Benue State, adding that the development has changed contract price from N51.621 billion to N60.961 billion. Meanwhile, the Minister of the FCT, Mallam Bello, said the FEC also approved a major road project in the FCT to Gilmor Engineering Nigeria Limited, at the sum of N30,686,609,298.68 with a completion period of 32 months. According to him, the Council approved the contract award for the full scope development of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way to the Northern Express Way (Murtala Mohammed Way) popularly known as Kubwa Expressway. He said the project area is within Phase II of the Federal Capital City (FCC), serving as boundary road between the adjoining districts of Mabushi, Kado, Katampe and Jabi. The minister said the project would improve access to the above mentioned districts, improve security, and provide both skilled and unskilled employment. He added that the road project would further enhance overall decongestion of traffic in phases I, II, III, IV of the Federal Capital City. [The Nation]

The Federal Government has announced that the first batch of artisans in Ariaria International Market in Abia State has received their one-time grant of N30,000 each. This was according to a tweet shared by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Survival Fund. The Government of Nigeria also announced via Twitter that the Payroll Support Scheme had received over 50,000 applications. It noted that the scheme aimed at MSMEs adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic would provide payroll support to a maximum of 10 employees per qualifying MSME. [Punch]

The National Youth Service Corps has assured that it would enforce strict compliance with all safety guidelines endorsed by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in all its Orientation Camps across the country. The organisation said that since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, it had not recorded any case among corps members and staff. The Director-Gener l of NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the Corps Director, Press and Public Relations, Adenike Adeyemi, said this in Jos at the 2020 Batch ‘B’ Pre-Orientation Workshop with the theme: ‘Evolving a dynamic operational strategy in the management of camps in the Context of COVID-19.’ He said management would continue to evaluate the conduct of Orientation Course as well as re-strategise towards enhancing its success due to its critical role as a launchpad for the service year. [Punch]

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has restated his regime’s commitment to ending estimated billing in all forms in Nigeria. He said his regime would ensure that Nigerians pay only for the electricity they consume. Buhari said this in a series of tweets he posted on his Twitter handle, @MBuhari, on Wednesday. The President said the government was making money available for the distribution of one million free meters in the first instance while the target is to meet the 6.5 million deficit of meters nationwide. [Punch]

The Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, says corps members and staff of the 2020 Batch “B” orientation exercise would be tested for COVID-19 before the programme. Gen. Ibrahim disclosed this on Thursday in Jos at the opening of the NYSC 2020 Batch “B” pre-orientation workshop. The workshop is themed: “Evolving a Dynamic Operational Strategy in the Management of Camps in the Context of COVID-19”. He further disclosed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had worked out procedures to ensure that staff and corps members who tested positive for the virus would be adequately taken care of. According to him, the NYSC management has ensured strict compliance with the NCDC guidelines in the corps’ activities. The director-general said that the NYSC had been interfacing with relevant bodies such as the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the various state ministries of health on ways of ensuring safe and efficient conduct of the orientation exercise. He said that all orientation camps had been prepared and remodeled in line with the approved safety protocols. He commended the NCDC for donating of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth millions of Naira for use at orientation camps. Ibrahim said that the aim and objective of the pre-orientation workshop was to appraise the conduct of the previous orientation courses and to fashion out ways to improve on their performance. [Vanguard]

President Muhammadu Buhari has emphasized the imperative of support of traditional rulers in the administration’s determination to address the demands of the country’s youths. The president made the call at a meeting with a delegation of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the State House, Abuja. Buhari told the royal fathers that “we have heard the loud cries of our youth and children, and we are attending to their concerns. To succeed in all of this, we would require your support and voice to help amplify the message. Your proximity to the people places you in a unique position to communicate and ensure that our response is targeted and impactful.” While describing their “role as guardians of our traditional values and culture” as most critical, the president urged them not to compromise their neutrality “because this is what significantly confers on you, your moral authority and legitimacy.” He revealed that his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, would lead senior government officials to various parts of the country “and directly engage with you as part of this process. He will be reporting back to me on your various perspectives.” [Vanguard]

The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Mansur Ahmed, has commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for creating a N100 billion intervention fund for the pharmaceutical industries in the country. Ahmed, who spoke on Tuesday during a capacity building forum organised by the Finance Correspondent Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in Lagos, saying: “I think the CBN has done a wonderful job by creating this intervention fund, which will go a long way at expanding the capacity of our members. I would, therefore, wish to use this opportunity to appreciate the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, for the wonderful opportunity given to our members; the manufacturing sector as a whole and the development of the Nigerian economy in general. We would further assure the CBN that members would complement the effort of the government by utilising the fund to develop the industry and provide the necessary platform for Nigeria to compete with her peers in the industry within the African continent as we approach the single market for Africa through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement next year.” He said about 10 companies had accessed the fund, stating that the CBN is not responsible for any delay in accessing the fund. “As at now, and from the information available to MAN, only 10 members in the industry have obtained the facility. This was not due to lack of funds or any technical hitch from the CBN. But investigation revealed that some of them have not been too willing to take facility of a huge sum as provided by this scheme. Another reason is that many are still trying to perfect their document; given the technical details required by CBN as being administered through the Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs). I believe some other companies in the industry who are yet to obtain the facility are only trying to put things in order and whenever such are ready, the funds are there for them to access as graciously provided by the CBN,” Ahmed said. Ahmed said the intervention fund, which was meant to cushion the harsh effects of COVID-19 on the healthcare industry, would provide credit to indigenous pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare value chain players at five per cent to build or expand their capacity. [This Day]